1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door handle device for a vehicle.
2. Background Art
There are known conventional vehicle door handle devices such for example as ones disclosed in JP-A-2002-30844 and JP-A-10-308149. In the vehicle door handle devices of JP-A-2002-30844 and JP-A-10-308149, an electric part for enhancing the convenience of a door opening/closing operation is received within a door handle forming a housing-like body thereof. In JP-A-2002-30844, for example, an antenna, etc., (which are electric parts) are received within the door handle, and are fixed thereto.
A conventional mode (first conventional mode) for fixing such an electric part (antenna) within a door handle. As shown in this Figure, the door handle 81 is divided into two sections, that is, a handle body and a handle cover secured to the handle body to cover the same. The antenna is received with an internal space of the door handle. Namely, the antenna is fixed to the handle body through a bracket which is mounted on the antenna by a press-deforming pin formed with the handle body. In this condition, the handle cover is attached to the handle body, so that the antenna is held between the handle body and the handle cover, and therefore is firmly fixed.
Another conventional mode (second conventional mode) for fixing an electric part (antenna) within a door handle. The door handle is also divided into two sections, that is, a handle body and a handle cover secured to the handle body to cover the same. The antenna is received with an internal space of the door handle. Namely, the antenna is fixed to the handle body through an adhesive double-coated tape bonded to the antenna In this condition, the handle cover is attached to the handle body, so that the antenna is held between the handle body and the handle cover, and therefore is firmly fixed.
In the first conventional mode, when the door handle is flexed by a load applied during the operation of the handle, the antenna, fixed to this door handle, is deformed, so that its performance is sometimes deteriorated. Therefore, in order to avoid the deterioration of the performance, the door handle (the handle body) is formed of a material of high stiffness such as a diecast zinc alloy. Therefore, the production cost, the time and labor for the assembling operation, and the weight are inevitably increased.
In the case where the door handle (the handle body) is molded of a resin material, a cross-sectional area of the handle body need to be increased so as to secure the required stiffness thereof, and as a result the door handle has inevitably has a relatively-large size. With this large-size design, an operation feeling (grip feeling) is degraded, and the degree of freedom of the design is lowered, and also the weight increases.
In the second conventional mode, it is also necessary to secure the required stiffness of the door handle (the handle body), and the same problems as described above are encountered.